Succession and Forest Habitats Session 3

Session 3

Choose 5–10 trees of different species in the schoolyard, if possible. For each tree, write a number on an index card and punch a hole through the card. Run a string through the hole and tie the cards onto the trees you have chosen.

Gather materials for the activity: camera, yardsticks, paper and peeled crayons for bark rubbing, measuring tape, and clipboards with paper and pencils.

Conduct this session in the schoolyard.

Direct students to get back into the five groups they were in for Session 2. Point out the trees you labeled. Explain that each group will gather data that will help them identify the trees. Assign one role to each group, and explain how each will do its job:

The tree shape group will photograph each tree to record its branching patterns and overall habit.

The bark group will photograph the bark of each tree to record its color. They will place paper over the bark and rub it with a crayon to record its texture.

The leaf group will gather five leaves from each tree and photograph one leaf from each tree.

The trunk circumference group will use the measuring tapes to measure the circumference of each tree at a height of 50 cm above the ground.

The tree height group will find the approximate height of each tree using a traditional First American method. A group member finds the point at a distance from the tree where, when the student faces away from the tree and bends to touch his or her toes, the top of the tree is just visible between the tops of his or her legs. The distance between that point and the base of the tree is approximately equal to the height of the tree. (This method is reliable because the student's sight line to the treetop meets the ground at approximately a 45-degree angle; thus a right isosceles triangle is formed, and the base of the triangle is equal to the height.) Group members then will alternate placing meter sticks end-to-end from the determined point to the base of the tree. This measurement will be a close estimation of the tree's height.

Before students begin, tell them that they can go to the trees in any order they wish. Impress upon them to take good, clear notes so that later they will be able to connect the tree number with its set of leaves, its photograph, and its bark rubbing.

Have students use guidebooks (see Resources) to identify each tree. (Alternatively, if a digital or instant camera was used, students may identify the trees in their photographs by using an online tree identification guide such as Tree Fact Sheets.) Advise students to look in the guides for information on the trees' benefits to wildlife. Does the tree provide good nesting sites, cover, nuts, seeds, or berries? Discuss the students' findings.

Ask students to count or estimate the total number of trees in the schoolyard. Ask students, considering their data, how favorable a habitat the schoolyard is for birds. How much food, shelter, and protection from predators does the schoolyard provide? What things could you do to help migratory songbirds like Flute? Some possibilities include

preserving existing forests or trees since it takes so long to grow new ones

preserving an area and allowing it to go through natural succession to become a forest

planting new trees to provide food, cover, and places for birds to raise young

planting native shrubs and wildflowers that provide food and cover

installing birdhouses, birdbaths, and birdfeeders.

(See Jan Mahnken's The Backyard Bird-lover's Guide, in Resources, for specifics on birdfeeders and food, birdhouses, providing water, and what plants to plant for birds.)

Compile all the data and photos students collected into a tree guide for the school. It could be made available for students to borrow to see if they have any of the same types of trees near their homes.